The Fifth Book of Moses CalledDeuteronomy

Chapter 15

Every seven years, all debts are to be released—The people are admonished to care for the poor—Hebrew servants are to be released and given gifts during the seventh year—The firstling males of herds and flocks are the Lord’s.

2 And this is the manner of the arelease: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release.

3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

4 aSave when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:

5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not aborrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

7 ¶ If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy agates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not bharden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy cpoordbrother:

8 But thou shalt open thine ahand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he bwanteth.

9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine aeye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he bcry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine ahand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

12 ¶ And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be asold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:

14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy afloor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15 And thou shalt aremember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.

16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his aear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been aworth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

19 ¶ All the afirstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt bsanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy cbullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

20 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the aplace which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.

21 And if there be anyablemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any bill blemish, thou shalt not csacrifice it unto the Lord thy God.

22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the aunclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.